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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · band · bank · staff · capital · current · hide · straw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. capital — a city
  4. staff — employees
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. current — happening now
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a ring
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. current — electric
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — money
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. current — of water
  23. staff — a stick
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com